Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
I’ve known Darth Siskel since ’99, and it was nice to see him again in New York on my recent trip. I’m glad he finally sent in a review of this film, because it gives me a chance to remind you that it’s opening in limited release today, as are STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN, Atom Egoyan’s ARARAT, and EL CRIMEN DEL PADRE AMARO.
I know, I know... HARRY POTTER & THE LICENSE TO PRINT MONEY is opening today, and I certainly plan to see it. I tease about the title because it’s a given. It’s a done deal. Of course it’s going to win the weekend and make a fortune. Because you know there are going to be lines and families and a general rush on tickets, why not take this weekend to seek out some of these smaller films and give them a chance? INTERVIEW WITH THE ASSASSIN (which won several awards at the New York Independent Film & Video Festival, much to my delight since I’m the one who pushed to get it shown there) is going to gradually platform out to other cities, but in order for Magnolia Pictures to take it wide, it’s going to have to do well in these initial venues.
Here’s Darth Siskel to tell you why you should support the film...
Harry,
Several weeks ago at a special AICN screening in New York City, I was able to see the great new film INTERVIEW WITH THE ASSASSIN. Moriarty and a bunch of other nerds were there, as well as the writer/director Neil Burger.
INTERVIEW WITH THE ASSASSIN is a mockumentary about an old man that claims he was the second gunman in Dallas back on Nov 22, 1963. The old man claims he was there that tragic day President JFK was killed, and that he was the one that fired the shot that killed him! Intrigued yet? This premise was enough to get me into the theatre, but I’ll tell you a little bit more.
The movie starts with the old man approaching his neighbor, who works as a cameraman, about videotaping his story. See, the old man has a terminal disease and only has a few months to live, so if the truth is going to be told, now is his last chance to talk.
Understandably, being the assassin that really killed JFK is not the kind of secret you want to take to the grave. And as you can imagine, the cameraman agrees to hear this old man’s story, but not without a heavy swig of skepticism. The cameraman has questions, and the so-called assassin is ready to show him the proof. The two travel around the country, from Dallas to Washington DC, as the old man makes his case, attempting to prove to the cameraman turned documentary maker, that he did in fact kill JFK.
Unlike many mockumentaries, which seem to be tongue in cheek jokefests, INTERVIEW WITH THE ASSASSIN has a serious tone, with a few comedic moments sprinkled throughout. Shot very effectively on video, the story is treated seriously by the writer/director, so the end result is a believable documentary. It is what The Blair Witch Project should have been.
While Blair Witch had a great premise, it suffered from having no script, thus relying on weak actors with even weaker improve skills to carry the movie. INTERVIEW WITH THE ASSASSIN really shows what you can do on a low budget, with some creativity and good writing.
The performances were solid across the board. Raymond J. Barry played the assassin so convincingly, that if I hadn’t recognized him as the police captain from FALLING DOWN, I might have been second guessing if the video footage were actually real or not. Okay, I’m not that dumb, but he was very convincing.
After the film, writer/director Neil Burger stayed awhile to answer questions. He was a very cool guy, and explained that this was his first movie. What a great way to start a career. I hope this movie gets some kind of marketing behind it. If it gets a fraction of the ad campaign Blair Witch had behind it, INTERVIEW could make some real numbers at the box office. If people don’t know this movie exists, they’ll just go see the new Steven Seagal movie or something.
-DarthSiskel ending transmission-
You can also read my review if you want. Nice work, Darth. See you next time I’m in town.
"Moriarty" out.
